Now's The Time
by LittleMewLugia
Summary: Although Sam is returning to College and trying to keep his life as normal as possible, he has no idea he is being watched by a group whose decisions could change his life forever.
1. Chapter 1

Now's The Time.

Prologue.

Summary: Although Sam is returning to College and trying to keep his life as normal as possible, he has no idea he is being watched by a group whose decisions could change his life forever.

Rating: T

Continuity: 07/09 Movieverse

Disclaimer: Transformers and related characters belong to Hasbro and Dreamworks/Paramount, not I.

Now's The Time.

"So?" one of the Prime Dynasty asked as they watched the young Witwicky boy as they often did from the shadowy nonlife they existed in. Sacrificing themselves to hide the Matrix had earned them this sanctuary, for though not alive, it was not yet their time to depart for ever.

"His past reinforces his present. There is nothing to indicate he will abuse the power he already has, even if we add to it. He is one of those born to the position," a second stated.

"He is organic, but he does bear the hallmarks of one of the chosen. None of his possible futures suggest an abuse of such power if it is given," the first replied.

"Then are we agreed that we give him that which he was both born to and has earned?" a third asked. The first shook his head again.

"No. He has a life, short and pitiful as his natural lifespan is. When it is about to come to its end, then we can act, but let him live the normal life he craves until then," the first suggested.

"None of his potential futures show his life as being _normal_. With an Autobot as his best friend, and vengeful Decepticons after him, his life can never be normal again." a fourth pointed out. The first one nodded in acknowlegement at the comment.

"Very true, but let's not thrust this upon him until it is necessary," the first Prime stated. "Wait until it is time. Now is not the time. When it is, we shall act and it will benefit himself, his friends and we will be confident in a job well done. We will know when to act, but the time is not now, but later."

"Agreed," the fifth said, and his assent was echoed by the others.

That settled, the six settled back down to their observation of the oblivious human boy who had been the subject of their discussion.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Sam found that after the earlier events, college was a little flat. Leo was not happy, for he too had signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement, and could not put up what he knew on his website. Of course, the whole planet was now aware of the Autobots and the Decepticons, but there were still some parts the Government were hiding.

Leo cheered himself up by taking a leaf from ex-Agent Simmon's book and publishing hints and half-truths that anyone with half a brain could extrapolate from acknowledged facts. Then he threw in enough of the not-exposed truth to draw in viewers, but not enough to constitute a breach of his NDA.

Although they had disagreed on many points during the events that led them to Egypt and the Sun Harvester, Leo and Simmons had stayed in contact with each other. Simmons privately thought that that Leo had potential, and Leo had latched onto the ex-S7 agent as a mentor, much to Sam's chagrin.

"Come on, man!" Leo had said when Sam's reaction to Leo's admission of this had been a groan and a facepalm. "He's shown me what can be done with some guts and a lot of confidence, I can learn from him, you know, and I'm sure he wants to learn things from me too. Think what I can do with a bit of help from him!"

Sam had refrained from informing Leo that it was _that_ possibility that _scared_ him.

However, apart from this, Sam's life was returning to something approaching normality. One good thing about all this, Sam reflected, was that after almost losing him in Egypt, Mikaela had moved to a nearby apartment to be near him.

"My father seems to be doing okay, and if he needs me, Bumblebee has agreed to take me, seeing as you're not allowed to have him in this first year anyway." she had told him. "So, I figured, if I'm this close, you shouldn't end up getting involved in any more conflicts without me by your side." She paused. "You need me, Sam."

Sam's response had been to silence her by engaging his own mouth with hers.

Yes, life had begun to return to normal, and Sam was beginning to get used to and enjoy it.

Unfortunately for the unknowing Sam, all that was about to change...


	2. Chapter 2

Now's The Time.

Chapter Two.

A/N: Warning: violence, human and mech body fluids mentioned.

Sam headed out of the gates of college with some money in his billfold, whistling cheerfully. It was a Saturday, and he had arranged to meet Mikaela in the town, and he planned to buy her a meal in a burger joint. Not exactly romantic, but he knew Mikaela would appreciate it, and it was the best he could afford on his limited student budget.

He was glad she'd managed to convince the local garage to take her on, at first in a voluntary capacity, for the garage manager had been unwilling to believe that Mikaela, a very attractive girl, but still only a girl, was any good with cars and motorbikes. Once she had proved herself, and shown that she could also paint designs on cars and bikes, she had earned herself a patch on the garage where she could store paints and brushes. Word soon spread that the garage had taken on a hot girl mechanic who could wield a wrench with the best of them and also paint, and she soon gained a reputation, and the garage gained customers.

Then Mikaela had talked to the garage manager about paid work prospects, and when he told her he couldn't afford an extra paid worker, she had told him straight that she couldn't continue working for free as her man was on a tight budget himself. He had stood his ground until the day he came in to find her packing up her paints, tools, and the design sketches she kept in her area. Realising that if he lost her he might lose custom, and his cut in the money she earned with her painting, he suddenly found that he could afford to pay her for her skills. He even helped her unpack and put her stuff back in place before hurrying out to provide her with the week's advance she had politely requested.

Of course, an added bonus was that he could see Bumblebee. The little yellow Camaro was still disappointed that Sam could not take him to college, but at least it was better than staying with his parents, although Judy had pleaded with Bumblebee to stay, a far cry from her demands the day Sam had gone to college. Then again, he supposed being kidnapped by Decepticons would change anybody's mind. It seemed meeting a real homicidal robot or two had convinced his mom that Bumblebee wasn't so bad after all, at least his shooting was in defence of them, not at them.

The downside of the whole 'no-cars-for-freshmen' thing was the thirty-minute walk into town. No bus service ran from the college to the town centre, so Sam would have to walk it. Then again, lunch with Mikaela and a meeting with 'Bee was, in Sam's opinion, well worth it. It wasn't as if he'd damaged his legs in Egypt. Yes, his hand still smarted at times, but his legs had nothing wrong with them.

He sauntered down the side of the road, careful to stay on the side, off the asphalt on his way. He wasn't that worried about the possibility of Decepticon attack, although Leo and his mom fretted about it almost every day. Judging by the injuries he'd seen inflicted on them, he suspected that the remaining Decepticons, Megatron and Starscream included, would all be too busy licking their wounds for some time yet. They had waited two years before launching this latest offensive, and neither he or the Autobots had any reason to believe they would attack any sooner.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

"Okay, Bee, I'll be meeting Sam in the mall by the burger bar. How do I look?" Mikaela asked as she did a twirl in the new tight short denim skirt and crop-top she had changed into especially for Sam.

Bumblebee's response was to play back an appreciative wolf-whistle, and Mikaela laughed.

"Okay, then, that's good. Wheelie?" she addressed the small blue 'remote controlled' big-wheel toy car beside her. "Remember, try to stay out of sight if you _must_ follow me."

"Promise, promise, Warrior Goddess but Wheelie _Autobot _now. Wheelie follow Warrior Goddess to be Autobot and _protect_ Warrior Goddess,"

stated the ex-Decepticon. Mikaela smiled at him again. Although his insistence on being her personal bodyguard could be problematic at times, it was also rather sweet. Anyway, she had to admit that if danger _did _present itself, his sensors would likely warn him before her senses did.

Bumblebee watched the exchange tolerantly, his engine idling. As Mikaela prepared to go, his engine jumped to a roar suddenly, and Michaela turned to look at him with a startled look on her face. When asked later, he could not say how he knew, but he realised that wherever he was, Sam was in some sort of danger.

"Bee?" asked Mikaela, as Bumblebee flicked open his doors.

"Mikaela, Sam is in danger, you can either come with me or not, but decide now because I'm going whatever."

Mikaela didn't ask or hesitate, picking up Wheelie and depositing him on the passenger seat. His response was a series of surprised clicks, but he didn't move or object. Mikaela ducked into the driver's seat and put on both her own and Wheelie's seatbelts as Bumblebee slammed shut his doors and pulled out of the parking space.

A few moments later they were rapidly moving up the road in the direction of Sam's college.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Sam continued on his way as several cars whizzed past, some, Sam was sure, breaking the speed limit. He heard another car approaching from behind him, obviously going at a fair clip, and edged further onto the side as the sound of the full-revved engine drew closer.

The next moment he felt a sharp pain in his legs as they buckled, and he screamed in pain as he flew over the dark hood of the vehicle that had hit him, a black car with heavily tinted windows, he noticed, before hitting the roof and sliding off it. He hit the road with a thump, and screamed again as he felt pain in his arm and head and heard bones cracking as he rolled.

As he slowed he heard a familiar sound, the sound of someone transforming, and as he came to rest, face-upwards, he turned his head to see the black car unfold into an unpleasantly familiar form. Although he had obviously switched alt, perhaps a necessary change after the events of Mission City, his head remained the same, and Barricade was just as terrifying as he always had been in robot form.

"I hear Megatron wants you dead, fleshling, and wishes to take your brain to extract information he requires," the spiky black Decepticon said, almost conversationally. "I would take you to him, to allow him to destroy you as he wishes, but he is currently off-world and I cannot follow him into space. Therefore, I shall kill you and take your body somewhere cold to store, and call him to take your brain in his own time."

Sam's skin paled further and he sweated, every instinct in his body telling him to run but his shattered legs making him unable to do so. He tried to roll away but that created so much pain that he cried out, and realised there was nothing he could do as Barricade took a step towards him, reaching out one sharp-clawed hand towards him.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

"Now?" asked one of the Primes. "It would seem his life will be short as well as abnormal unless we act now."

"No, not yet," First Prime said. "Help is on its way. That help may mean he can recover. Wait, there is no need to be impatient."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

As they saw Sam struck, and then the car ahead beginning to shift in a familiar way, Bumblebee flicked open his doors, throwing the human and the small ex-Decepticon out.

Mikaela climbed to her feet, backing off as Bumblebee began transforming, the smaller Wheelie also executing his own transformation. Barricade either had not registered Bumblebee's presence, or did not consider them a threat, reaching for Sam who was lying on the road, apparently alive and aware, but unable to move. His legs and one arm lay at unnatural angles, and there was more blood than Mikaela was happy with on his clothes and on the road. Bumblebee was not yet ready for action, and neither was Wheelie, which left only her.

"Hey, Decepti-freak!" she yelled. "Pick on someone you're own size!"

Barricade turned from Sam to look at her, which had been her intention, but then his optics darted to the still-transforming Bumblebee. Before she could even blink, his extendable saw whirled overhead, cutting into the vulnerable Autobot with a hideous scream of tearing metal. Bumblebee cried out, and Mikaela dodged as the Decepticon leaped towards Bumblebee, claws out.

Bumblebee tried to defend himself but having just come out of his transformation, he was at a disadvantage, Black claws punctured yellow hide, drawing dark blue energon, as Bumblebee keened, trying to bring his cannon to bear, but the Decepticon swiftly used one of its arms to grab the cannon and force it aside. As his whirling saw sang again, Bumblebee keened again, and Mikaela, to her horror, saw Bumblebee's cannon-arm suddenly separate from his shoulder: Barricade had cut Bumblebee's cannon off.

Barricade dropped the cannon and swung for Bumblebee again: this Decepticon was playing for keeps, it seemed. A blur of blue flashed past and an angry cry sounded: Wheelie was joining in.

"Wheelie Autobot! Autobots protect!" he screamed, clawing at Barricade's knee-servo. Barricade swung for Bumblebee one final time, then reached down to grab the small blue ex-Decepticon.

"Correction, traitor." Barricade said as he seized the small 'bot in one hand. "Autobots _die_. Especially little turncoats like you!" Mikaela screamed in horror as Barricade's grip tightened and she heard some of the structures of her small protector snap under the strain. Then Barricade cast him aside like a piece of discarded rubbish, his broken, dented form landing by her feet. As Barricade transferred his attentions back to the yellow Autobot scout, who had grabbed Barricade with his one remaining arm, Mikaela crouched by the small blue Autobot.

"Wheelie…failed." His voice sounded unnatural and strained. "Cannot…protect."

"No, Wheelie, you haven't failed. You've bought me time. Warrior Goddess is pleased with Wheelie, Autobots sometimes give their lives to protect, Jazz did." A lump formed in her throat as she saw the light of Wheelie's optics begin to dim. "Autobot Wheelie: I love you," she said, then stood so the dying 'bot would not see her tears, turning to look at Barricade.

She was in time to see Barricade throw Bumblebee, bleeding energon from multiple places, to one side and although the scout twitched with the effort of trying to get up, he could not. As Barricade turned back towards Sam, she screamed "You leave him alone, you big bully!"

He turned towards her slowly, fixing his burning red optics on her.

"Are you so eager to die, fleshling worm? Don't worry, I'll get to you soon enough but you will have to wait your turn." He turned back towards Sam.

"First, you will watch _him_ die."

Once again, he reached for the vulnerable form of Sam.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

"How much longer are you going to wait?" one of the others asked First Prime. "You stopped us intervening earlier, but now he is about to die, if not dying already. If you delay any further, we cannot help him."

"Yes, you are correct," First Prime nodded. "Now's the time."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

As Sam saw the Decepticon's fingers reaching for him, the view was suddenly blotted out. All around him was bright white light.

"Hello?" he called. He noticed that whatever was happening, in this reality his legs were undamaged. "Am I dead? I'd rather not die yet, I have too much to do with my life, y'know?"

"That is just as well," First Prime said. "You are not here to join us in oblivion, but to meet us." First Prime paused before addressing Sam again.

"Samuel James Witwicky, you are here so we may give you a gift."


	3. Chapter 3

Now's The Time.

Chapter Three.

Autobot Base.

"Prime!" called Cliffjumper, who was manning communications. "Distress call incoming from Bumblebee! Barricade has attacked Sam and Bumblebee is about to be overpowered, he says Mikaela's in danger too."

"Cliffjumper, com Ironhide. We'll head for the scene, you monitor and keep us updated and tell Mirage to accompany us, we're leaving now." Optimus turned and headed for the base entrance, confident his orders would be followed and as he had expected, both Ironhide and Mirage were waiting for him in alt-form, Hound having relieved the Autobot weapons specialist from his usual post at the guardhouse on the gate.

Optimus folded down into his alt and said "Okay, let's move out, Autobots, Bumblebee needs our help!"

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

"Huh? A gift?" Sam asked, eyes wandering upwards as he recognised his surroundings from his earlier experience. Sure enough, the vast forms of the Primes appeared through the whiteness as the six assembled to stand in front of him. He was immediately wary, in all folklore tales of gifts from the 'gods' or other powerful beings, the gifts always came with some sort of catch or snag, and he had no reason to believe it would be different with the Primes. Even gifts given with the best of intentions could backfire, or have a high cost. "What sort of gift?" he asked suspiciously.

"I would call it more of a birthright than a gift," another Prime stated. "Something you were born for. You have something about you, a combination of innocence, a sense of justice, and an inner strength possessed by few even amongst our own race."

"Some might call that 'human spirit,' Sam said, confused.

"No, it is rare even amongst your own kind," First Prime stated. "The combination is sought for amongst all those Sparked, and of those, not all are suitable. In some cases the combination is unbalanced, or corruptible, but in you it is neither."

"What's going on back in my world?" he fretted. "I'm injured, possibly bleeding to death, my friends are seriously injured and we are being threatened by one who will kill us all if he gets the chance."

"Time does not move the same there as here. This whole conversation and the giving of your gift will only take one of your seconds. Your gift will heal you, and give you the ability to wake the power of the Cube within you. Your gift, birthright, whatever you choose to call it, will be in the form of certain special abilities, and knowledge, knowledge that will help you use the AllSpark power you do not realise lies inside you."

Knowledge: that didn't sound so bad, Sam thought, and then he recalled the Greek myth of Pandora and her box, and the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and the Tree of Knowledge. Even gaining knowledge usually carried a hefty price. Was it one he was able - or even wanted to - afford?

"What if I refuse this gift?" Sam said. "Am I able to refuse, or will you force it upon me?"

First Prime shook his head slowly.

"We will not force the gift upon you, but I caution you: although help is on its way, time is against you in your world. You and your friends will certainly die if you choose to refuse what we offer to you."

"Well, there's the catch," he muttered. "Refuse, and my friends and I will die. Time to risk getting thrown out of Paradise, I guess." He raised his voice and looked up again at the Primes. "In that case, I guess I have no choice. I'll have to accept this gift."

"Then we give the gift to you: the knowledge of those who have come before and the sum of our knowledge." First Prime raised his hands, and so did the others.

"A physical change will be required, and this will heal you, the knowledge you gain and the AllSpark power within you will enable you to heal the others." Lightning seemed to jump from Prime to Prime, and then it seemed to strike Sam, whiting out his vision although there was no pain. Although he could not see, it did not affect his hearing.

"We grant you what you were born to. Welcome to the ranks of the Primes."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Barricade's clawed fingers had almost made contact with Sam when the boy's body began to ripple, and then grew increasingly brighter even as it began to swell. Mikaela didn't stop to stare as Barricade stared and pulled his hand back, backing off: she spotted her torque wrench, which she had stashed in 'Bee's trunk, lying on the road and made a grab for it.

As Barricade continued to back up she took aim and swung it like a golf pro, shouting "Take that, you big ugly!" Barricade let out a pained screech as the end of the shaft caught him in the ankle, the mobile head catching in the joint. He turned his attention away from the glowing boy and whipped round, making a grab for Mikaela, who dodged, although she had to drop the wrench to do so. Barricade picked the wrench out of his servo, tossing it aside disdainfully.

"I am going to make you suffer for that," the Decepticon frontliner told her. "I was going to make it quick, but now I will relish your agonised screams as I tear you limb from limb." Mikaela dodged again as Barricade made a grab for her, and then only narrowly avoided his other hand as it too tried to grab her. She was panting and sweaty already, she might be able to avoid a few more grabs but in time she would tire and he would catch her.

She was fighting a losing battle.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Sam couldn't respond either physically or mentally: his physical form was outside of this world yet he could feel it changing in the other. His mind was filling with images, memories, knowledge, and it was overwhelming. Instinctively he knew that everything all Primes that had come and gone had known - including the Fallen, for although he had turned renegade he had still been a Prime - was being channelled into him, a vast storehouse of knowledge and memories. The history of Cybertron, the societal structure, the many conflicts and alliances that had shaped the civilisation, he was privy to it all. Including the events that led up to Cybertron's ruin, and that knowledge hurt, hurt so badly that Sam thought he would burst.

Sam thought that there was no way he could remember everything he was learning, wasn't sure his brain could contain it, but then he recalled the mention of a physical change, and wondered if this change would help him retain the information. He was temporarily unaware of his physical body, the main focus of his awareness on the torrent of information he was receiving. As suddenly as the information had started it cut off, and he was left reeling by the sudden cessation, but also by the awareness that the information was there, ready to be made available to him.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Optimus almost stalled as something within his Spark and within his processors stirred, an awareness of another touched, just as he had been, by the power of the Matrix. Just as The Fallen had been aware of Optimus' death earlier that year, Optimus was aware of the opposite fact.

He was aware, that somehow, another Prime had come into existence.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

It was at that point that Sam became aware of his physical body, still sprawled on the road but somehow different. He opened his eyes and they seemed blurred, before snapping into focus, and taking in the scene ahead of him.

Barricade was stood with his back to him, grabbing at something. The something was being cornered against the unmoving form of Bumblebee, and it was only as she jumped briefly into view that he recognised her as Mikaela. She looked exhausted, hair hanging in her eyes as she tried to avoid Barricade's cruel hands. The frontliner was toying with her, Sam saw, playing as a cat plays with a mouse, giving her hope of an escape and then cutting it off. He saw him finally catch her and snatch her up, heard her scream as he threw her into the air and caught her by the leg with his other hand.

Sam didn't think, he simply reacted. He got to his feet and charged at Barricade, having only just enough time to wonder why Barricade suddenly seemed so small. Grabbing the frontliner by the shoulder he twisted Barricade round to face him and said "Put her down gently or give her to me, or I will not be responsible for my actions."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Barricade was tiring of his game, and was about to start pulling the human female insect's arms off when he was grabbed and twisted round so forcefully that his injured servo almost collapsed. He looked up, and then up again, his Spark flickering with fear when he realised the one holding him was over twice his height. The immense mech was built along the lines of the earliest Cybertrionians, he noticed, but his size was the greatest concern, this mech could kill him if it came down to a fight. He knew immediately what he would have to do, he would not have the amusement of tearing the little femme apart, but it was his best chance of escape.

"If you want her, you'll have to get her yourself. Catch!" he cried, throwing the fleshy female up and out.

She screamed as she arced through the air and just as Barricade had hoped, the big mech released him to run to try and catch her. Barricade did not waste the opportunity he had been given, folding down into alt and roaring off at a speed well over the limit. He looked in his rear mirror, but had missed the femme's descent. Oh well, he had got away with his Spark intact, but he did wish he'd been able to see if the big mech had managed to catch her or not.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Sam lunged for Mikaela as she hit the peak of her arcing flight and began to fall, her arms and one leg pinwheeling, the other leg flopping unnaturally, bending up above the knee in a place no human had a joint. He heard Barricade transforming and roaring off, but ignored the sound, reaching for Mikaela as she tumbled feet over head towards the ground. He felt her hit the side of one of his hands but bounce off again, sickened as he felt something of her form break against his hands, then he grabbed for her again. He managed to catch her, but only briefly, for she shrieked and struggled and only then did Sam realise that she did not realise he was her friend. As he opened his mouth to reassure her, her struggles succeeded, and she squirmed out of his grip, falling the last ten feet headfirst. She hit the ground with a nasty crack and flopped like a broken doll.

Sam crouched by her, knowing that she could not survive, not with the damage she had suffered, both at Barricade's hands and, inadvertently, at his own. He crouched and reached big metal hands, fingers tipped with lethal-looking points, to scoop up her broken body tenderly. He found his first regret with his new form: he could no longer weep.

Mikaela was still breathing, very shallowly, her skin pale and clammy. She was dying, and there was nothing he could do.

Then he became aware from the knowledge in his head that this was not strictly true. The AllSpark Essence within him could not repair her, at least not in this form, it did not know enough about organic structure. However, it could do something, it would be a big change for Mikaela but at least this way she would live.

Taking Mikaela over by Bumblebee, Sam lay her by the yellow scout tenderly. He put his hands over her, wondering what she might look like. Immediately the forms of every femme build the AllSpark had ever produced came into his head, and he picked out one he thought Mikaela would be happy with and focused on it. Mikaela glowed and grew, and Sam saw her change from organic to metal, from human female to Cybertronian femme. As the glow faded, he saw she was a plain uniform silver all over and immediately decided it didn't suit her.

'_Pink with mid-blue trim_,' he thought, and saw her colour change appropriately, but no, the pink didn't look right either. Coral, maybe? He saw the colour change slightly in reaction to his thoughts, and although the difference was subtle, it was enough: the colours suited her. He paused to turn her shaped helm haematite-black, then turned his attention to Bumblebee.

A quick search located Bumblebee's amputated cannon-arm and he lay it by the scout. He put his hands on the scout's chest and on the arm, and imagined Bumblebee whole again. His hands glowed and light flowed and Bumblebee became whole again, and, like Mikaela, slid immediately into recharge to finish healing. Wheelie lay close enough for Sam to reach out and pick up, and he cradled the tiny 'bot in cupped hands, the hands filling with the AllSpark energy, and then fading away to leave Wheelie as whole and undamaged as he'd ever been.

Sam tensed as he heard engines approaching but as he looked up he sighed air through his vents in relief as he recognised Optimus Prime and Ironhide. A few moments later, Mirage also shimmered into view.

Although they were a little late, the cavalry had arrived.

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Optimus drew up beside him.

"Sam, is that you?" he asked. "You're the new Prime?" Sam nodded.

"Yeah, and that's Mikaela," he said, indicating the thirty-foot high Seeker femme lying on the ground nearby. "It's a long story, I'll explain what happened later," he said.

"So much for staying incognito." Mirage said cheerfully as he moved to Sam's side and stopped by his foot. "The Military are gonna pitch a fit over this."

"Believe me, if I could have avoided this, I would have, but now I'm wondering how I and Mikaela, at least, are gonna get home. We don't have Earthly alts," Sam said.

"Perhaps I should call Lennox, ask him if we could stop off at Nellis on the way ,n pick up a coupla flyin' alts for you." Ironhide rumbled.

"Once Mikaela has finished throwing her own fit over her new form." Sam said. "I'd be better if we could get to the Base first, but Mikaela will have to be carried, I'm the only one big enough to do it, and I'm kinda noticeable."

As he tried to think of another way, looking through the mass of information in his processors, he found one.

"Everyone, get as close to me as you can, I have an idea." he said. "Does anyone here know the Base co-ordinates?"

"I do." Ironhide stated, databursting them to him.

"Warn the Base we'll be arriving in the next few moments." Sam said.

"The next few moments, we won' be able to travel tha' fast." Ironhide said, but did so anyway.

Sam spread his arms out to encompass all of their party, and they disappeared from the area, reappearing just outside the Autobot Base. Ironhide stared, blinking in astonishment.

"Wha' was that? Yuh pinched Skywarp's warp technology?"

"No." Sam said. "It seems that with this old body form came the ability to spacebridge." He grinned.

"I think I'm lookin' forward greatly to your explanation, Sam." Ironhide grumbled.

"So am I," Optimus said.


	4. Chapter 4

Now's The Time.

Chapter Four.

A/N: Dr Syn is the intellectual property of author MeowthTwo, and is mentioned by name in this story with permission.

Ratchet had wasted no time, telling Sam and Optimus to help carry first Bumblebee and Wheelie, and then Mikaela, to the medical bay. Ratchet did a brief scan of the yellow scout and the small ex-Decepticon while the Autobot Leader and the new Cybertronian helped lift Mikaela and bring her in. Ratchet compared the new scans to previous results from other scans and shook his head slightly in disbelief at the readings.

"Both Bumblebee and Wheelie had slight damage and scarring, and repair welds from injuries received in earlier battles," the medic explained to Optimus. "None of those are showing up in the latest scans, their bodies are almost like new constructions." He looked at Sam, frowning slightly. "It looks as if your healing did more than merely repair the damage Barricade inflicted."

"Well…that's good though, right?" Sam asked, a little confused, wondering why Ratchet seemed less than pleased about it.

"Yes it's good, but it means more work for _me _in the shot-term," Ratchet grumbled. "I'll need them in later for a new baseline scan to compare them against as their medical records are now out of date. Put them in recharge, I'll do their new scans once I've given you and Mikaela your first baseline scans." He huffed as he got Sam to help him lift Bumblebee into a recharge chamber, carefully lying Wheelie in the crook of the scout's elbow. "A medic's work is never done, it seems."

He put the recharging Mikaela on his table first, running the numerous diagnostics and scans while Sam stood to one side and explained everything that had happened from his point of view to Optimus. Ratchet tested a few sensor responses, than beckoned them over.

"Okay, can you two get Mikaela into a recharging chamber too, and then I'll need to take your readings, Sam. If you follow the pattern of the other three you'll be in excellent condition, a good level for comparison purposes. I'll record them and keep them on file."

Sam and Optimus helped put Mikaela in the recharge unit, and then Sam obediently lay on the worktable as Ratchet carried out his scans.

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Sam came out with as clean a bill of health as the rest, and was informed by Optimus when he got up that Major Lennox had pulled a few strings at Nellis on Mikaela's behalf. An F-15E Strike Eagle was being sent to the Base for Mikaela to scan. Ensuring her alt was different from Starscream's would ensure no cases of mistaken identity, plus Optimus had been assured that the Eagle could still out-perform the Raptor in certain significant areas.

Sam moved over as Ratchet announced it was time to awaken Mikaela. She opened her optics and screamed as she spotted Sam, who moved away as he belatedly realised she still didn't realise who he was or even that he was friendly. Ratchet moved over and she calmed as he stroked her and soothed her, explaining that the new big Cybertronian was a friend.

"Sam? What happened to Sam?" she cried.

"It seems Sam has the AllSpark in him and he was too badly damaged by Barricade to live. So were you, Mikaela, and the AllSpark energy changed you both, though your form is closer to our builds than Sam's," Ratchet explained. There was no way to break it gently to Mikaela, Ratchet had realised, she was already feeling her body, realising something had changed.

"What am I? What has it done to me?" she asked, her voice going quiet. Ratchet was relieved to note that Mikaela did not seem to be likely to burst into hysterical screams or begin lashing out.

"Mikaela, you were dying, but I knew you could live if I let the AllSpark change you," Sam said, moving forward. "I thought the female Seeker form was one of the better femme forms I could choose for you, I would have asked your opinion if I could've, but time was kinda short."

Mikaela looked down at herself, running one of her hands over the shaped helm as the other explored the unusual futuristic vents on her shoulders.

"Well, I suppose it could be worse," she remarked. "It's gonna take some getting used to." Sam was surprised at how calmly she was talking it, wondering if she was in shock or if there would be some sort of delayed reaction. She must have caught his look for she nodded slightly and addressed him.

"I'm guessing that this change is permanent, or at least that I cant go back to my human body, right?" the new Seeker asked. Sam nodded as he felt the Essence within him confirm that it could not reconstruct her organic form.

"And the same with you, right, so you can't go back to being the human Sam Witwicky?"

"Yes, I'm stuck with being mechanical too," he replied.

"Then I see no point to screaming and carrying on because it won't make any difference, I'll still look like this," she explained. "I guess I have to make the best of it." She optic-shutter winked. "And as I appear to be taller even than Optimus Prime, I'm a little closer to your own height without being dwarfed by you or, conversely, towering over you."

As Sam was eleven or so feet taller than Mikaela, he thought she was stretching it a bit by saying he didn't dwarf her. However as she stood - and almost fell over her own feet - he moved to catch her before she hit the floor. As she pulled herself up on his arm he found she did indeed have enough height to fit comfortably in the crook of his arm. She looked up at him and smiled shyly.

The intimacy of the moment was broken as Will Lennox strode in. He looked at Mikaela and blinked for a moment, but that was the only reaction of being startled he gave before he pulled himself together and straightened up, snapping to attention and saluting her, a gesture that was part-diplomacy, part humorous, and part-respect. Will Lennox had always had a lot of time for Mikaela, a pretty girl who wasn't scared to get her hands dirty.

"Your Strike Eagle has arrived, Ma'am, she's ready and waiting outside for you to scan," he informed her. Mikaela gave him a look of puzzlement, and Sam realised she had no idea what Lennox was talking about.

It was Ratchet who stepped forwards and said "Thank you, Major, I'll transfer the data on how to trans-scan to her in a few moments and she'll be out soon." Ratchet's words also served to inform Mikaela what Lennox was talking about, saving her the embarrassment of needing to ask, and she gave Ratchet a grateful glance as she nodded in agreement.

Ratchet connected the transfer cable in his wrist to one of the data ports that Mikaela - and most other Cybertronians- had at the base of her helm, and transferred the trans-scanning and transforming information, along with more details about the offer of the Eagle as an alt. It took a little longer to get Mikaela up on her new legs, but in the end she reached a compromise, balancing on Sam who supported her and helped her get outside.

She scanned the plane, and there were briefly two Eagles in the Autobot base courtyard before Mikaela transformed back to her bipedal mode. She winced.

"Ow! That felt _weird_. Does it get easier once you're used to it?" she asked.

"After a while, you don't even notice it," Ratchet, who had followed them out, assured her. He shifted his weight to the other foot before continuing "It's always awkward the first few times, new joints are always a bit stiff, but repeated use will loosen them up."

"Um…Ratchet, when the Primes gave me all the information, there was some medical stuff in there," Sam interjected. "Can I give you a copy?"

"Medical data? You need to ask?" Ratchet said in surprise as he turned his back to Sam and used a finger to flip up the cover of one of his own helm-based data ports. His finger jabbed, pointing at the exposed port. "Give!"

Lowering Mikaela to a seated position on the ground, Sam obediently found his own wrist-mounted data lead and plugged the universal end into the indicated data port. His processors almost automatically sorted the medical information and put it into a file which he then sent to Ratchet. The medic-mechanic swayed slightly, his optics widening, then he steadied himself as Sam unjacked from him.

"Well…there is plenty here, Sam, thank you. I will be in the medbay, I have a lot of reading to do," Ratchet said and moved back into the Base.

"Hey, Ratchet, wait, I don't think it would be fair to withhold the medical stuff from the Decepticons, but I'm wondering how to get it to them? They may not be in a talkative or information-sharing mood," Sam said.

"Don't worry, Sam," Ratchet said. "If the official channels don't work I have a very effective and guaranteed-to-work _un_official channel I can use." With that, Ratchet headed back into the med bay, promising himself he'd send the information direct to Dr Syn anyway, to be certain the Decepticon medic got it all, unedited and unabridged. After all, Ratchet didn't trust Starscream to pass it all on if the Seeker felt it was not in his own - or his Seeker brethren's - interests to do so.

Sam helped Mikaela up and supported her walking up and down for a bit, and as she got used to her new joint arrangement and centre of gravity, her steps grew more confident and she began relying on Sam's support less and less. Within half an hour she was walking unsupported, and as they headed into the Base, Sam saw a very welcome and familiar yellow figure walking out to meet them.

Bumblebee flinched but only slightly as Sam moved over to greet him. Ratchet had obviously warned the yellow scout, but Sam supposed that as he was now almost three times Bumblebee's height, his friend still felt a little intimidated. Sam, without even thinking about it, dropped to a crouch and held his new long arms out to the young 'bot. Bumblebee hesitated only a second before stepping forwards to bridge the gap and they closed their arms about each other and shared a hug.

It felt very odd to Sam that he was now the significantly larger of the two, it was almost a role reversal, but any lingering doubts he had had were banished by the hug. So they had swapped sizes, so what? They were still friends, the change had not altered that one little bit. After a short time, Bumblebee stepped back and said "There's a meeting in the main conference room, they want you in there for a debrief and some discussion."

Sam nodded and fell into step beside Mikaela but just behind 'Bee. Although he had told Optimus all he could remember, he supposed that he wanted to hear it all again, and that the rest of the Base wanted an explanation too.

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Sam shuttered his optics as discussion began. He had explained again and answered several questions, but he was sure there were more important things to be discussed than his name.

"What about Sammimus Prime?" asked a small red mech called Cliffjumper.

'_No!' _Sam thought and was about to say so when someone saved him the trouble.

"That doesn't sound quite right," the green mech Hound stated.

"Witwickimus Prime?" suggested Sideswipe, and turned to glare at his brother, Sunsteaker, when the latter sniggered. "Okay, maybe not." he added.

"Well, we're kinda spoiled for choice, considering humans have more than one name. He could be Jamesimus Prime." Cliffjumper said.

"Medicus Prime? He have me lots of previously lost Cybertronian medical data." Ratchet said.

"AllSpark Prime?" suggested Hound brightly. In the brief silence that followed, Sam decided it was time he got a chance to get a word or ten in. He stood, and every optic in the room was drawn to him. He kept his head down and his knees slightly bent - at forty feet high, the roofs in the Base were a little low for him, something Ironhide and Ratchet had promised to either fix themselves, or ask the military to do so by raising the roof height by a further five to ten feet.

"No, no, and absolutely not!" he stated. "My name is Sam, and nothing more, Sam is my given name, the name I'm used to, and I see absolutely no need to change it. Just call me 'Sam', like you always have."

"But - you're a _Prime_, Sam Prime," stated Prowl. "It wouldn't be right, or respectful to just call you 'Sam'. If you need to deal with other Cybertronians, the Prime suffix might be the difference between gaining support and respect and raising morale, or not."

Sam made the nearest sound to a groan he could make, before raising a hand and nodding his head once.

"Okay, if you really feel you must, you can call me Sam Prime. I still prefer plain old Sam."

"But what sort of name is Sam?" asked Hound, and looked about to say more when a beep sounded, followed by the voice of Mirage, who had been left on communications and was promised a report later.

"Prime, - um, _Optimus_ Prime, that is - could you come to the main control room?" He paused before continuing.

"We have an incoming communication from Starscream."


	5. Chapter 5

Now's The Time.

Chapter Five.

A/N: Headfixer, like Dr Syn, is the intellectual property of author MeowthTwo and is used in this story with her permission.

All the 'bots in the room shot a glance at their neighbours, and then Optimus said "This briefing is suspended for now. Sam, Mikaela, Bumblebee, come with me. The rest of you, take a break or return to your assigned duties."

Optimus walked out of the room, followed by the three named 'bots, and everyone else filed out after them and dispersed.

Walking into the control room, Optimus waved Sam and Mikaela back and to the side before instructing Mirage "Put Acting Leader Starscream on screen."

Mirage did not respond verbally but flicked a switch. Starscream's head, shoulders and wings filled the screen. The expression on his face-plates was a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. His wings twitched and his optics flickered, and then he spoke.

"Ah Optimus Prime, I was wondering how long you'd make me wait." Starscream said impatiently.

"My apologies, Leader Starscream, I was in a meeting with some of my mechs, one which I immediately interrupted to take your call," Optimus said diplomatically, dropping the 'Acting' part of Starscream's rank. He did not want to anger Starscream if he could avoid it: sometimes Starscream would take his anger out on human facilities, and human deaths at Decepticon hands were something the Autobots strove to avoid.

"Very well," Starscream accepted. "I am wondering if you are aware that there was a small confrontation between Barricade and the human boy, Sam Witwicky earlier?" the Seeker enquired.

Optimus nodded.

"I am indeed aware of the incident you refer to, Leader Starscream. I believe it involved two of my mechs and Sam's mate as well."

"Ah, well, yes something about Bumblebee and Mikaela was mentioned, but to be perfectly honest, Barricade was so confused and his report so disjointed I couldn't quite make complete sense of it. Perhaps you got a full report of it, one that I may find a little more understandable, and to be frank, believable."

'_Ah,' _Optimus thought to himself _'you're fishing for information.' _He allowed a small smile to turn up the corners of his mouth, even as he considered what Starscream had told him. Barricade was a mech who was thorough and precise, despite his volatile personality, so it seemed the incident with Sam had rattled the frontliner badly. Either that or Starscream found the report so unbelievable that he feared for Barricade's sanity. Either way, Optimus decided that he would not give a report to Starscream before discussing how to phrase it with Sam, Mikaela, and the rest of his mechs.

"Leader Starscream, I will be pleased to send you a report on the incident within a few days," Optimus stated. "However, the events and circumstances surrounding it are so unusual that it will have to wait until then."

"But I need the information now!" Starscream said, his optics half-slitting as he leaned in towards the screen, his expression turning angry. "Typical Autobot arrogance, withholding information from-"

The Seeker cut off suddenly, his optics shifting up, to look over Optimus' shoulder. His face cleared of the angry look, and he straightened a little, tilting his head to one side to get a better view of whatever it was that had caught his attention. Looking over his shoulder and following the line of Starscream's optics, the Autobot leader realised Starscream had caught sight of Mikaela as she moved to get a better view.

"Who is that vision of Seeker perfection, that paragon of winged beauty behind you?" Starscream asked. "It is too many years since my optics have feasted on such a vision of grace and loveliness. Optimus Prime, you and your Autobots are holding out on us more than I realised."

Mikaela, realising Starscream was talking about her, stepped forwards to join Optimus Prime in front of the screen. Starscream smiled at her, brought his hands briefly together, and then spread them wide.

"Beautiful femme, you have made a mech happy merely by your presence. Your wings are straight and strong, your lines a joy to gaze upon. I am privileged to view your slender frame, your shiny fuselage and-"

Mikaela cut him off abruptly.

"I never was much one for poetry, it's far too long-winded, so cut the crap," Mikaela said sharply. "So you like the way I look, fine, thanks for the compliment, but that's not the point. Optimus has given you his answer, so get to the point. Why are you still on? What do you want, Screamer?"

Starscream visibly flinched at the blunt retort and winced at the unflattering nickname. Then he recovered his composure, pulling himself up straight. Optimus was hoping that Mikaela had not gone too far and angered Starscream into doing something stupid but his voice, although stiffer than before, didn't hold that shrill note that meant the Seeker was badly offended enough to act.

"Feisty, aren't you? Very well, the point."

The Seeker paused.

"Something happened today, something that rattled one of my mechs so badly his coherence and sanity are both in doubt." Starscream leaned forwards a little. "What little I could make sense of sounded so incredible that I want another account from somebody, something that will either confirm his story or give Headfixer the go-ahead to examine every line of Barricade's code to find and fix any glitches."

"Headfixer?" she asked.

"He's a medic, a specialist in coding and processor errors." Starscream told her.

"You guys have a _psychiatrist?" _she laughed. "I guess you Decepticons _need_ one more than these guys."

"Mikaela!" Optimus said, he did not want Starscream riled up, he felt they had pushed their luck already and feared with this latest gibe it wouldn't hold. Starscream, however, had focused on something else.

"'You guys?'" he repeated. "Your syntax is not classic Cybertronian, and your tone suggests that you don't mean Autobots as opposed to Decepticons. And what sort of name is Mikaela anyway? A human one, if I'm not mistaken. Perhaps what Barricade told me is not so far-fetched after all, if you are the same Mikaela we have seen before as a squishy."

"Yeah, so I am, what of it?" she replied arrogantly, tilting her head back haughtily. Starscream let out a laugh.

"You look far more attractive for a start," he shot back. "How did that happen? Barricade obviously missed that part."

"He near enough damn killed me, that's how," Mikaela replied. "How he did it, I don't know, but I woke up like this."

"How are you going to learn how to fly?" he asked, suddenly changing tack. The change took her by surprise, it was something she'd not thought of, but then Sam stepped in.

"I have the knowledge within me. I'll transfer it to her."

"Oho, if Barricade is right, you are - or were - the Witwicky fleshling. You too seem to have undergone a transformation of your own," the Decepticon Seeker stated. "It is true that the theory of how to fly can be transferred to or from any mind to another, but that is only one side of it. The practicalities - how it feels, how things will vary with different temperatures and wind speeds, some of that can only be learned by practicing, an activity best carried out with a more experienced partner."

"Like you, I suppose," Mikaela said. "Well, as there are no Seekers on the base as you well know, I'll just have to teach myself."

"You don't have to do that if you don't want to," Starscream said. He swept his hand out and gave her a shallow bow. "I offer my services to you, I'll happily escort you and help you learn to use your wings."

"Oh yeah, I'll just bet you would," Michaela said sarcastically. "You'd probably kidnap me or attack while I was at a disadvantage," At that moment, Ratchet walked in.

Starscream actually looked hurt at the accusation.

"I would not, I swear! If I do such a thing, anyone present has permission to rip the Spark from my body and drain me of fuel. I swear by my Spark and my fuel that I will do no such thing!"

Optimus turned to look at Mikaela.

"He means it, too, making that promise."

"He means it anyway, promise or no," Ratchet said with an affable smile. "He's a Seeker, and so is she. No Seeker will harm or do wrong to another unless it's a life or death situation, and as often as not, not even then. They're a funny lot, Seekers, but I have yet to see one attack or turn on another. They seem to see each other as a sort of vast extended family."

"Historically, that makes sense," Sam said, retrieving this information almost without thinking about it,. "Seekers as a group were persecuted several times in Cybertron's history, and sometimes the only ones they could trust were other Seekers."

"So you see, Mikaela, my offer is genuine, as one Seeker to another. Will you accept my offer?"

"Okay, I will," she said as both Sam and Ratchet, and then Optimus, gave her reassuring nods.

"May I ask a personal question?" Starscream asked.

"You can ask," Mikaela told him. "Whether I answer is another matter entirely," She glared at Ratchet as he chuckled.

"How old are you, Mikaela?" Stascream asked, as if the interruption hadn't happened.

"How old?" Michaela repeated. "I'm nineteen, if it's any business of yours."

"Nineteen?" Starscream repeated. "So young." He sighed, then spoke almost to himself.

"It's a long time since I last taught a sparkling."

He then seemed to remember they were there for he looked at the screen and spoke louder.

"I will be outside your base in the next Earth hour. Starscream out." The communication was cut.

"Sparkling?" asked Mikaela.

"Infant Cybertronian." Ratchet stated.

"A baby?" she asked. Ratchet nodded. Mikaela looked outraged.

"He's calling me a _baby? _Of all the nerve!"

"Mikaela, don't be offended, by Cybertronian standards, you _are_. We live for millions of years, even Bumblebee has lived longer than your entire species has existed for. In our lifetimes, nineteen years is like nineteen days to us."

"Oh," she replied, subsiding. "He'd just better not treat me like a baby."

"Most Seeker sparklings learn flight as soon as their wings are strong enough," Ratchet said. "Don't worry, he won't, and you're a quick learner. Go on, get ready, he'll be here soon."

She did, but not without the last word on the subject.

"Sparkling!" she huffed. "I'll give him 'sparkling' if he talks down to me…" Her voice tailed off as she walked down the corridor.


	6. Chapter 6

Now's the Time.

Chapter Six.

Starscream arrived soon after Mikaela had gone out. Ratchet had obtained and given her enough fuel to fill her tank and was waiting for more to arrive when she left. The two Seekers walked about half a mile away from the Autobot Base, to some fairly flat and unused ground beside it. Sam had commed her the general theory of flying, but it was Starscream who asked about pre-flight checks and found she didn't know any.

"It is of no consequence, I can teach you once you are ready to fly, but first you must get to know your own form and how to use it in flight." The Seeker had been slowly circling her throughout his query, was now behind her, and she tensed as she felt his hands touch her wings gently.

"These are your wings. They are not the only part of you essential to flight but they are the largest part and their shape and surface area will affect how you fly and how far and how fast. They have a leading edge here, and a trailing edge here." As he spoke he touched the two edges of one wing. "As your body is newly created these wings are currently very smooth and blemish-free. This is good for aerodynamics and you should endeavour to keep them as close to this condition as possible. I will explain the function of these flaps on your trailing edge a little later."

His hands left her wings, only to touch the powerful turbines on her back.

"These provide the power for your flight and along with the wings will control how you fly and how fast. These should always be checked before and after flight for blockages and damage." She head the thrum of an engaged scanner beam, which quickly turned off. "Once again, as they are newly created, they should be, and indeed are, clean and clear."

As his hands left her engines he crouched, and she felt the Seeker's fingers delicately touch the small fins on her legs. He touched them from their bases to their tip in a caressing movement, resting his fingers lightly on the tips.

"These are your elevators, and these help to control your pitch, mostly in alt-form. Point them up, and your nose points up, point down and your nose goes down. Simple to remember."

He continued in this vein for about twenty more minutes, touching parts of her and explaining their purpose during flight. From the way he had spoken to her on the screen, she had half-expected him to flirt, or attempt to come on to her in some way, but he appeared to be being completely objective and professional. For this, albeit grudgingly, he had her respect.

She was almost about to ask when she'd get a chance to put her new intimate knowledge of her new form to test when Starscream stepped in front of her.

"Okay, now we'll go through the pre-flight checks together and then we'll see what we can do about getting you in the air," the Seeker told her. "I know this must be frustrating, but getting off the ground isn't actually that hard. Staying up and manoeuvring will be the difficult part, and without the theory, that would be all the more difficult to attain." He winced. "Without this knowledge it would probably involve more painful crashes than is strictly safe, and the whole process would thus take longer."

He carefully talked her through all the pre-flight checks, then stood behind her again, pressing his cockpit canopy against her back and putting his arms around her in a tight embrace, holding on to his own forearms with his opposite hands.

"Hey, what do you think you're playing at?" she asked, beginning to struggle. He gave a small chuckle.

"If you're going to go up, Mikaela, it might be helpful to know how to land again without losing both structural integrity and dignity. Which is why your first flights will be not very far up and under my power entirely. So stop wriggling and let me continue."

She ground her dentaplating together in irritation but obeyed, seeing the sense in what Starscream was saying. Walking with her new legs had been hard enough, learning how to land on them was obviously a sensible idea. All the same it rankled, just how long would it take for her to be able to fly under her own power?

"Do you do all this with your flying sparklings?" she asked.

"Similar, but as they are smaller, we just pick them up and bring them down to teach them how to land. With you I've have to improvise."

Mikaela soon found that Starscream's improvisation had arisen from a fine intuition: the first few times he took her up and then brought her down, to get used to the feeling of landing and when and how to bend the legs and slide the ankles down, she overbalanced, usually backwards, taking him with her in an undignified sprawl. Starscream was, however, a patient teacher, surprising considering his lack of patience in other pursuits, and continued taking her up and bringing her down again. Soon they were settling to the ground smoothly, Mikaela able now to anticipate the landing and keep her balance upon touchdown of her feet.

The last time they did this, something changed. As her feet touched the ground and she braced to land, Starscream abruptly let go of her and rose up to fly over her head.

"Hey!" she said, looking up at him startled.

"Well done, you've managed it mostly unsupported. Time for you to begin using your own power."

This, she found, was started on the ground again, him keeping a light touch on her sides, both bringing their thrusters online and then slowly increasing the power. For a short time nothing happened but then she felt the back of her feet just slightly leave the ground. At that moment she was standing on tip-toes wavering on them as they kept her balanced. She felt as if she could push off against the ground and get airborne if she so wished. However, Starscream advised her to keep her thrusters at that level for a few moments. "Get used to the sensation, then we'll go a bit higher and learn to straighten out."

Obediently she did as she was told, and five minutes later, as promised, he showed her how to use her flaps and elevators to stretch herself out so she was parallel to the ground, although she was only about ten feet up and Starscream was just above her, keeping her stable by holding her sides.

"I suppose this is how you teach your sparklings as well?" she asked.

"Again, not quite, I'm improvising again," he replied. "With sparklings, a trine is usually involved."

"Well, your wing brothers are here aren't they?" she asked. "You could call them, it might speed things up."

Starscream released her carefully: she wavered and engaged her stabilising fins, as Starscream dropped down to fly just beside her, his wingtip just a foot from hers. Reaching out and taking her upper arm gently in one hand, he angled her upwards.

"Increase your engine power a bit more, we want to get a bit higher, we're probably already a source of UFO sightings," he said. "To answer your question and suggestion, it wouldn't do much good getting the others here. You're a bit big and heavy to throw, and I couldn't be sure TC or 'Warp would be able to catch you effectively."

Her engines gave a roar and a sputter, and immediately Starscream angled down to fly just beneath her. "I'll try to stop you crashing if necessary, but I can't guarantee it, so please concentrate on your flying," he chided her.

"_Throw?" _she repeated incredulously, but concentrating on her flying a bit more. "You throw _babies?"_

"We don't take risks." he insisted. "Two trine members fly a bodylength apart, no more, the one in front flying backwards, facing the forwards-flying partner, who starts off with the sparkling in his hands. The third trine-member flies just below, bridging the gap, upside down, ready to catch if there are any misses, and there rarely are. The two flying above throw the sparkling back and forth, get it used to the air without any risk of falling. As we fly only about fifteen feet maximum above the ground, even if the underflier ever missed -which I've never heard of- the sparkling wouldn't get seriously hurt."

She steadied her breathing before speaking again.

"I suppose it never occurred to you to maybe teach it one it's bigger and older?" she asked.

Starscream shook his head as, reassured that she would not fall out of the sky, resumed flying slowly beside her.

"Seekers, even newly-Sparked ones, go mad if they don't fly for too long. It sounds unbelievable, I know, but once you've felt the sky-hunger, you may understand. They have to learn, or be carried up, within a half-orn of being Sparked, preferably a few days after."

He took her through levelling out once they had achieved what he felt was an appropriate height. Mikaela decided to stop asking about how Seekers trained their sparklings. Starscream was right in one respect: she didn't need any more shocks to take her mind off flying, particularly not this high up, she'd ask any more questions once she was back on the ground. Anyway, she had something else to take her attention: from this altitude, the view was amazing.

They flew in silence for another five minutes or so, Mikaela getting used to the sensation of the air against her body and enjoying the sight of the land beyond Tranquility spread out below her, and then Starscream got her attention with a small blast of static over the com before speaking.

"We should start heading back, we can do more lessons another day, but now you can learn how to turn. It'll just be a shallow one, you can learn sharp turns later, but for now, roll slightly to the side you want to turn, dropping your wing. This is known as 'banking.'"

Mikaela had experienced banking on a passenger jet, but still had to try it out in her new body, so she did so, watching Starscream beside her first to gauge how low to drop her wing, and followed suit.

"Very good, Mikaela, you've done very well today." Starscream assured her. "It's only another step to teach you a holding pattern, something you may have to use in alt for landing room or refuelling at an air base, and I can teach you that as we come into land. It's basically a big spiral down, easy enough to learn. We'll keep practicing next time we meet, and add a few new things each time. Soon, Mikaela, you'll be flying as if you were Sparked to it."

Secretly, although Mikaela would never had admitted it to the older Seeker, she was glad the lesson was ending. She was tired and her wings ached from using new servos and circuitry, and her processors needed time to filter all the information she had been given. Her transition from human to Seeker had been rushed, and she still felt she needed time to come to terms with it. At least she knew now she could get airborne, stay up for a bit, and get back down without crashing. Basics, sure, but necessary basics that she was sure all pilots, be they human or mechanical, needed to know.

They came in to land, Starscream teaching her how to fly in a holding pattern, both of them circling down, and both were so preoccupied with what they were doing that they did not notice the other flying form in the sky, nor did they register its approach as they landed.

They were just arranging when to meet next, and Starscream was just asking Mikaela if he could fuel at their base considering he was teaching her to fly, when something landed on the ground behind them with a loud thud, causing a slight vibration under their feet. As they began to turn, they heard a voice speaking, one that was familiar to them both.

"Well, what do we have here? I don't recognise your new friend, Starscream, don't you think you should tell me who she is?"

As Mikaela slowly turned and looked up at the broad-chested triplechanger mech who stood a head taller than she, and who must have massed at least twice her own weight, she sent an urgent com to Sam.

"_Sam, we've got problems. Megatron's back!"_


	7. Chapter 7

Now's The Time.

Chapter Seven.

A/N: This chapter contains elements from the graphic novel "Megatron: Origins" and is dedicated to author KDZeal.

"Well?" Megatron asked as neither Seeker spoke. He took a few steps forward, bringing himself closer to Mikaela. "There are few enough femmes within the Decepticon ranks and fewer still among the Seekers. I do not recognise your face or your colours. Who are you?"

"Lord Megatron, she is a new Seeker, I was teaching her to fly," Starscream explained. "Please, let her return to where she is hangared, I will explain everything to you but it will require time."

"You will explain now, Starscream," Megatron replied. "The AllSpark is gone, how can she be a new Seeker? She is in an adult form, from where did she come? " He turned to look at Starscream. "Where is she hangared, if not with you?"

Starscream sent Michaela a brief com: _'Quick, get away.' _She considered flying but she was still weary, and Megatron was too close for her liking. While he was still concentrating on Starscream, she began to try sidling away, but as he suddenly twisted his head around again to look at her again, she froze.

"Perhaps I am asking the wrong person, here? What is your name, femme, and where are you based?"

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

When Sam got Mikaela's message, he was too stunned at first to reply. He was mid-way through being given numerous scans by Ratchet for his file. Due to his older-style exoskeleton and his unusual transformation, Ratchet was insisting on scanning him at all levels, from shallow to deep, and keeping the results for future reference.

It was when Ratchet asked him if he were okay that Sam realised that something of the worry he felt must have shown on his face.

"It's Mikaela, she says Megatron's back, but no more details," he told the medic, who immediately stopped scanning.

"In that case, we should inform Optimus and Ironhide, and proceed to her co-ordinates, for she may be in trouble," Ratchet said.

"Then shouldn't I go now? The more we delay, the more peril she my be in," Sam fretted.

"Sam, against Megatron even you may need help, the sort of power Optimus and Ironhide can provide. With Starscream there, she may be in less peril than you may think, and as a femme, that too may give her the time we need to get there. Let's go to Optimus now," Ratchet said.

He and Sam set off for the Prime's office at a brisk walk.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Mikaela felt much like a small rodent facing a snake as she found herself staring into the blazing red orbs of Megatron's optics.

"What is your name and where are you from?" he asked, his voice soft, dangerously so. "I will not ask again."

She knew it would have to come out because she had a feeling he would find out sooner or later, and spill energon if it were necessary. She jerked her head to break his gaze with her as she stood up straight and faced him.

"We have met before, Megatron," she said, her voice not breaking or wavering, for which she was grateful. She did not want him to know how scared she was. "My name is Mikaela, and I will probably be living at the Autobot Base."

"Mikaela? That is a human name, is it not?" Megatron asked.

"Lord Megatron, the AllSpark has not been destroyed, it has simply moved, into the Witwicky fleshling," Starscream said. "When the squishy girl was injured, it repaired her and changed her, recreating her body, as you see, in my image."

Mikaela thought that a very grand claim, considering that Starscream had not even been present when she had become a Seeker, but she let it pass. When Megatron took a step towards her, she took a nervous step back.

"You were the Witwicky-fleshling's mate?" he asked, and Mikaela noticed his vocal tone was more curious than aggressive.

"Yes, I was," she said.

He moved so quickly that she barely had time to react: the claws of one hand caught the edge of her helm and pulled it round to look at him, and their faces were barely a foot apart. She saw Starscream stiffen out of the corner of her optic, and tensed, expecting Megatron's grip to tighten, for him to attack her, but he did not. She felt his claws tickle her hide slightly as he adjusted the position of his hand, and then he spoke again.

"Mikaela, what do you know of our history?" he asked quietly.

The question caught Mikaela completely off guard.

"Your history?" she repeated. "Cybertronian or Decepticon?"

"Both," he said.

"All I know is that the Autobots and the Decepticons have been fighting over the AllSpark since before our species came into being, but beyond that, nothing," she told him.

"So, you do not know why the war started?" he asked.

"Because you tried to take the AllSpark for your own ends," she said, speaking her mind as she usually did.

At that point she _did_ expect an attack and tensed, but again Megatron surprised her by merely shaking his big silver head, an oddly human gesture. She wondered if a shake was a negative on Cybertron as well, or if he had learned the human gesture off the Internet.

"No, the war began because of injustice, injustice by the Autobots against the Decepticons," he told her. She stared at him.

"You're lying," she accused.

"No, Mikaela, listen to my voice, I speak the truth."

Mikaela listened and realised that he did sound as if he, at least, _believed_ he was telling the truth.

"How?" she asked. "Tell me."

Megatron bobbed his head once in assent, and put his other hand lightly on her arm.

"The Autobots made up the ranks of the politicians, the nobles and the well-off," he told her. "The Decepticons made up the workers, the miners, and the poor. There were, of course, exceptions, but in general the Autobots were well off and had control, the Decepticons were poor and unrepresented in the Cybertronian Senate."

"Optimus said you were the Lord High Protector," she replied. "Sounds like a grand, high title to me."

"It was a token position, given to me because my brother asked and because after the first uprising, they wanted to pacify the poor workers." He removed a hand from her shoulder and fisted his hand, the thin digits sliding against each over and crossing above his palm. "My position was a token, my power was quite limited, any decisions I made had to be agreed by the Senators, Autobots all, and corrupt, all."

She looked away from his optics, shocked, for again his voice held that ring of conviction that suggested that he was not lying, that he was telling her what he believed. She didn't know Cybertronian history, but he didn't sound as if he were twisting the facts, and she knew herself that people, or humans at least, in a powerful position were quite capable, in many cases, of abusing the power they were given. It seemed that Cybertronians too shared the same faults, if Megatron was to be believed.

"Was - was Optimus in charge then?" she asked, frightened to hear the answer but needing to know.

"No, that was Sentinel Prime, but he was as bad as the Senators, willing to be their puppet as long as he could be seen to be powerful and appear to do as he pleased. After the first uprising, promises were made about the treatment of Decepticons, but they were not kept. When Sentinel Prime died, Optimus inherited the position."

Movement over his shoulder drew her optics and she turned her head to see what was happening, in time to see two more Seekers, whom she presumed were Starscream's wing brothers, land just behind Starscream.

Megatron noticed the movement and looked too, but seemed unconcerned. Instead he used his free hand to gesture at them.

"You may wonder why the Seekers are on my side. That's because when workers were needed, Seekers were preferred because they are so adaptable. They could move heavy loads, fly at speed from one location to another. Their element is the air, but all too often they were used underground, in the mines, a situation that sent more than one mad. These insane ones were killed, and then others were created, or drawn from another source, to replace them."

Although Mikaela was a new Seeker, the mention of Seekers being sent underground sent a shiver down her spine and her wings twitched briefly in response. She idly wondered if it were an instinctive response, as Megatron's hand on her helm pulled her head about to look at him again.

"Mikaela," he purred to her, "You have only heard the Autobot point of view. Of course they will not have told you about their own part in the war with all honesty, nobody likes to admit their own wrongdoings. But now you know the truth, have heard _both_ sides, you can _choose_ what to do based on the new knowledge. Mikaela, most Seekers are Decepticons, you would be the only flying-type amongst the Autobots. Starscream could explain better why, but a lone Seeker is an unhappy one. I offer you the chance to avoid that, to be among those of your own kind."

He opened his free hand between them, opening it flat, palm-up, fingers slightly flexed.

"Come, Mikaela, into the Decepticon ranks. Come and join us."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Once Sam had told Optimus about Mikaela's message, Optimus called Ironhide.

"We'll assemble outside and make our way to the co-ordinates the message originated from," he told Sam. "You, me, Ratchet and Ironhide should be enough, but we'll get a backup group to follow us, just in case."

"I'll take us there," Sam said, spreading his arms. "I'll spacebridge us, it'll be faster."

"No, Sam," Optimus said. "If we appear suddenly and unexpectedly, Megatron will see it as an attack, and react on reflex. Mikaela would be at a greater risk of being seriously harmed or killed. If we approach in the open, he will not be taken by surprise. At least he might transfer his attention then from Mikaela to I."

"Okay," Sam said.

A few minutes later, the four set off towards the co-ordinates Mikaela's comm had originated.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

At Mikaela's shocked silence after his offer, Megatron replaced his empty hand on her wing.

"Come, Mikaela, you owe the humans no loyalty now. They will fear you. We have researched you, Mikaela, and that research leads us to believe that you owe the humans nothing. The authorities detained your parent, your school records described you as lonely and aloof. What have the humans done for you?"

Megatron's voice had taken on a soothing and coaxing tone and she could now understand why he had a following. His voice was persuasive, almost mesmerising, and she found him unexpectedly charismatic. She found herself agreeing with his perception. Her family had struggled, her father turning to crime to keep them fed and clothed, and when he was caught he had been imprisoned, leaving the family struggling to survive. Sector Seven had later tried to threaten her father's parole as leverage over her. She still had not forgiven them for that threat.

She had gained friends, it was true, but almost everyone she had known only associated with her because of what they could get, or hoped to get. Other women wanted to be with her because of the male attention she got, hoping they would be noticed too. The boys just hoped to get her in their beds. No, Megatron was correct, she was a Seeker now, a Cybertronian, and she had no reason to feel loyalty to humans.

Then she remembered the exceptions. Her mother and father. Sam himself, even though he himself was no longer human. Sam's parents, who had at first been wary, but then had welcomed her with open arms. Sam's friend, Miles, whose friendship with Sam meant he _wasn't_ trying to jump into bed with her.

Then she remembered the Mission City battle, the needless cruelty Megatron had inflicted, how he had killed Jazz. Then she recalled the more recent events in Egypt, where Megatron had allied himself with The Fallen, the renegade Prime who had tried to destroy all life on Earth by draining the energy from its sun. He had tried to kill her and Sam then, as well. She realised that he would likely continue this behaviour, and wanted no part of it.

No," she said, shaking her head as much as his grip on her helm allowed it. "No, Megatron, thank you for your offer, but I must refuse."

"She felt his grip on her tighten a little, in threat.

"You should ... reconsider," he told her. "My patience is finite." She wondered if her new body gave her a greater range of and more acute hearing, for again his voice had changed, and now contained a hard, menacing edge. She tried to pull free, without success.

"No," she said again. "I refuse. Let me go!"

For a moment, Megatron didn't move or make a sound, and then he sighed.

"So very unwise," he said, the only warning she got before his grip tightened further, and she cried out as she felt his claws puncture her hide, and screamed as she felt them tear at her helm and begin to shred her wing.

oOo

A/N: Sorry for the lateness of my update. My Muses have been on a bit of a go-slow, but hopefully I'll soon be back on form.


	8. Chapter 8

Now's The Time.

Chapter Eight.

When Megatron grabbed for Mikaela, Starscream tensed, ready to rush in to defend her. As a Seeker, and a femme one who was technically a sparkling, although in an adult body, there alone were three very good reasons to rush to her defence. Starscream was fully expecting Megatron, a flyer but not a Seeker, who killed his enemies mercilessly, to attack. He was surprised when instead he forced her to look at him and talked to her. Megatron was a mech who was not known for his patience. Starscream commed his wing brothers and turned his attention to the pair.

As Megatron spoke to Mikaela, Starscream listened too, and remembered times back on Cybertron when Megatron's powerful voice had rung out across the cities, promising to crush the corrupt and build Cybertron into a great conquering empire. Mechs, believing his promises, had flocked to him and rallied behind him, and the planet had been pitched into civil war. However Megatron was still trying to get rid of those Autobots who remained, and Cybertron was in ruins, would never be a great empire now. War had destroyed their world, and Megatron had abandoned it as he had raced after the AllSpark. Starscream gritted his teeth, the hot, bitter taste of his own energon flooding into his mouth as he accidentally caught the edge of his glossa between his dentaplates. At some point he became peripherally aware that his wingbrothers had arrived.

Throughout all of this, Starscream had not relaxed, he had remained tense and ready to act. When Mikaela refused to join Megatron, Starscream saw Megatron attack her and heard her screams. By the time Mikaela reacted by clawing at Megatron with her finger-talons and raking him with her knuckle-claws, Starscream was airborne, his wing brothers only a spark-beat behind.

Megatron, who was concentrating on keeping the wriggling, fighting Seeker femme in his grip, was completely unprepared for their attack. As Starscream half-flipped in the air to bring his feet slamming down onto Megatron's back with force enough to make the silver overlord stagger, Thundercracker attacked his legs and Skywarp blinked out, only to appear behind Mikaela and begin prising Megatron's fingers off her.

Megatron stayed standing a little longer, but fighting four Seekers instead of just one did cause issues of balance, and a few seconds later Thundercracker's assault on Megatron's legs caused the silver triplechanger to fall.

Starscream managed to avoid being completely crushed beneath Megatron, but one arm and wing were caught, although he continued to fight with the free parts of his frame. Skywarp was having limited success with extricating Mikaela from Megatron's grasp, partly because Megatron was reluctant to release his destructive hold on her and partly because she was herself fighting mad at Megatron.

Thundercracker launched himself back at Megatron, one hand clawing at him as the other tried to pry his fingers off Mikaela. Megatron decided letting go of her might be a good idea but the moment he did so, she twisted, clawed digits lashing out at his optics as her fury drove her not to pull away, but to press her own attack.

"Leave the sparkling alone, Megatron!" Starscream yelled as he grabbed one of Megatron's arms. Thundercracker cried out as Megatron rammed him hard in the chest with his arm-blade. It was at this point that an unexpected other joined the fray.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Sam and the others reached the area in time to see Megatron fall over.

"They'll kill each other if someone doesn't stop them," Ratchet said.

"Then I think I'd better step in right now," Sam said. "Ratchet, stand ready to treat irate Seekers."

As Optimus began to transform from truck to robot, intending to go into battle beside Sam, he realised too late that Sam wasn't about to wait for him. As he opened his mouth to suggest that Sam wait, he closed it again as Sam used his powerful legs to swiftly move towards the combatants. After all, Sam was almost an adult now in his original culture, and the seconds his immediate actions shaved off could save lives.

Sam reached the struggling pile and acted fast and none too gently. This lot were not about to respond to suggestions that they calm down and talk it through, the time for talking was far gone. He grabbed hold of Mikaela by the waist and lifted her, pulling her firmly off Megatron, throwing her aside. The next one he hauled off was the badly injured Thundercracker. Sam was careful not to allow the blade-arm that had shattered the other Seeker's cockpit to do any more damage before he lay him swiftly on his back on the ground. As Mikaela charged towards him, determined to attack again, Sam reached out a hand and grabbed her shoulder, shoving her back away from the fight with a slight spin he hoped would disorient her: she was dripping with energon, and too much of it was her own.

Turning his attention back to the fight he yanked off Skywarp, throwing him aside, then began to lift Megatron off Starscream. Megatron now began to wriggle and shout, and Sam had to hold Megatron up as he saw Skywarp rushing in for the attack again. Lifting one foot briefly, he kicked Skywarp backwards, before adjusting his grip on Megatron so he could pull off Starscream's clinging arms from the injured silver overlord. He just managed to stay standing, but between the infuriated Seekers and the raging Megatron, this would only last a few seconds. If the fray restarted, he could envisage Megatron perishing, and likely taking a Seeker or two with him. Sam did not want that to happen, but he only had one chance, one option.

He pushed Starscream off Megatron, twisted to see Skywarp rushing in again, Ratchet restraining Mikaela, and Thundercracker trying to stand, and realised he had to do it now. Turning back to Megatron as Starscream tried to push himself back up, calculating the co-ordinates he needed in his head, he tightened his grip.

Then, with another bang, both Sam and Megatron were gone.

Skywarp and Starscream were unable to stop colliding with each other as the two bigger mechs appeared to vanish, and the two Seekers went down in a tangle of arms, legs and wings. Optimus moved over to help separate them as Ratchet turned from Mikaela to tell Thundercracker to "Lie down and stay down while I patch you up!" while comming for Jolt at the base to join them.

"Where…where did they go? Where's that slimeball Megatron?" asked Mikaela in confusion. The other three Seekers, too, appeared less agitated now the focus of their anger had vanished.

"I don't know, but I'm assuming that Sam has taken him somewhere where he can't do too much damage." He glared at her. "Now, will you _please_ sit down and sit still long enough to be repaired?"

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

With a muted bang, Sam and Megatron appeared about six foot above the ground.

'_Oops, slight miscalculation'_ Sam thought as they dropped to the ground, although in the lighter gravity of the Moon, the impact was not too hard.

"Who the slag are you, and who in Pit do you think you are?" rasped Megatron, who was also leaking energon, one optic dark, and with a myriad of slashes and gashes on his face, chest, and limbs.

"You don't recognise me?" Sam asked, himself slightly scratched by accident as he had got in the way. "No, I guess you wouldn't, as the Dynasty of Primes gave me this new body when Barricade damaged my other one too badly to survive. It's me, Sam Witwicky, and it seems the Dynasty of Primes decided I would live for some reason, and the AllSpark chooses to live within and through me."

"_You_?" he raged. "I feel your power, you are a _Prime_? You were given the power I was denied when my brother destroyed The Fallen? He was going to give _me_ that power and make _me_ a Prime. Why should _you_ be given that power? _You_, a worthless fleshy?"

He heard the Dynasty themselves and the AllSpark answer that question in his processors, a rather disconcerting experience, but he repeated it out loud for Megatron's benefit.

"Primes, Megatron, are not made. They are born to it, and it seems that human as I was, I had the qualities they sought. Sorry, Megatron, but I guess you just didn't cut it. If you were meant to be a Prime, you'd be one."

Megatron's reply was an enraged roar, and Sam fell back as Megatron turned his anger on him. He dodged the massive arm-blade that had once destroyed Optimus, shot his own hand out to knock Megatron back, felt parts of his armour slide up and out. Some of it shielded his vulnerable sides and joints, but he noticed that a good amount of the moved plating exposed cannon muzzles or possessed sharp edges he could use offensively.

As Megatron launched at him again, Sam realised he was going to have to fight the silver mech, but he tried to talk to him even as he dodged and slashed.

"Megatron, stop this madness! You have been given another chance of life. If the AllSpark hadn't wanted to give you a second chance you would not be here, and I doubt you'll get a third."

"NO! You have the power that should be mine! I will not stop until you and Optimus and the other Autobots have been ripped into scrap by I and my Decepticons, your planet laid to waste and stripped of it's resources, the pathetic human vermin exterminated. I _will _have my revenge!"

Sam dodged again as Megatron lunged at him, easily moving aside in the Moon's weaker gravity, but the move was a feint, and Megatron's real attack was with one of his guns. The silver mech had guessed - correctly - how Sam would react and he felt the weapon's punishing sting on his armour. He mentally cursed himself for becoming too self-confident, too sure of his height and Prime abilities to consider that Megatron might be able to beat him.

Optimus had been killed by Megatron once, despite his Prime status, and Optimus had destroyed the much larger Fallen, so size and status did not guarantee victory, Sam reminded himself. He also realised that Megatron was a tactician, and had far more battle experience than he did, to the tune of several millions of years, much of that in weak or zero-gee conditions, something else Sam was unused to. That experience, and Megatron's tactical deductions, made him a very dangerous opponent.

"Megatron, it's not too late!" Sam implored, his optics watching Megatron, looking for a clue as to his next movements. "Cybertron is ruined, but your race could go somewhere new, another world, and start anew. You could even have a Decepticon planet, where you could start anew, start without corrupt Senators, without _any _Autobots at all, and rule it as you want."

Sam barely moved in time to avoid Megatron's angry burst of weapons fire, which told Sam exactly what Megatron thought of _that _idea.

"You think I am a fool?" rasped Megatron. "You want me to settle for one planet when with the AllSpark I can rule the universe? I will tear your limbs from your body and consume your Spark, and the AllSpark will pass to me!" As Megatron made another feint, Sam this time managed to avoid his main attack but he knew that up till now he'd been lucky, and he couldn't keep this up for much longer before Megatron's tactics began to pay off.

Killing Megatron had never been on his agenda, but Sam realised he might have to consider it. Even spacebridging him to a different area of the cosmos would only delay his inevitable return, likely enraging him further. How to render Megatron non-dangerous, he wondered, without killing him? Was there a way?

He hadn't intended it to be a question to the AllSpark but it did respond. The AllSpark itself preferred not that he die, but that he not endanger it or any more of it's children, and of the three alternatives it placed in his mind, Sam though of one that would best fit. After all, it didn't involve killing Megatron, only restricting his power and the danger he posed. Yes, his life expectancy would be truncated, but then the AllSpark could retain a link with him, and might be able to do something abut it.

"Megatron, you have one last chance!" he told the former Lord High Protector. "The loss of your skills, your life experience, would be a waste. Please, listen and consider my offer."

"I will deal with the AllSpark when I have had my revenge and it resides in me!" Megatron replied. "Until, then, I refuse!"

He ended his brief statement by launching his full weight at Sam who, not seeing it coming, was a second too lat in dodging. Megatron's sharp claws and vicious blades ripped gashes in Sam's armouring as he bore the bigger but less bulky Sam to the ground. Sam cried out as Megatron tore into him, twisting his claws to widen the gashes, determined to reach sensitive internals and deal serious damage.

It was now or never, and Megatron had been given enough chances to turn away from his anger and vengeful feelings. Sam, ignoring the pain Megatron was inflicting, placed his hands on Megatron, and he glowed blue as the AllSpark began to act.

First, Megatron went still, as the AllSpark quickly copied his memories into a file. After all, it _would_ be a shame if the skills and experiences of the Lord High Protector were lost, even if this was something of an infringement. After all, the AllSpark was still hoping that one day a better solution could be found, and he might then want those memories back.

Then the physical changes began. Megatron began to twist and shrink, his claws disappearing entirely, his silver colouring darkening and blushing as he continued to shrink. Megatron began to cry out, possibly realising what was happening, but Sam did not tell the AllSpark to reverse its actions. The threat Megatron presented to the Universe in general and the Earth in particular meant something had to be done. Killing him might make him a martyr, leaving remains where the Decepticons might find them invited the possibility of bringing him back again, unleashing his new fury back on an unsuspecting Earth. Even turning him into a sparkling could leave him open to Decepticon corruption. No, this was the best way.

As Megatron finished his transformation, Sam activated a force-field, filling it with warm air, before allowing himself ten minutes to recover from the injuries Megatron had inflicted. Then he stood, holding his cupped hands close to his Spark, and spacebridged back to the place from whence he had come.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Ratchet had just finished patching up Mikaela when a bang of air announced Sam's return. Every optic turned to look as Sam, seeping energon from a dozen places, appeared, his hands close to his chest, his optics weary and sad.

Ratchet was the first to recover his voice.

"Get yourself over here and let me patch you up!" he growled. "This slagging, Pitspawned, overlong war has given me more work in an eon than I've done in the rest of my career!" A finger pointed at Sam, then moved to point at a nearby rocky outcrop. "Sit there, and don't move until I'm done!"

"Where's Megatron?" Ironhide growled, having brought his weapons up at Sam's appearance, ready to attack anyone chasing him. He peered about, as if expecting the triplechanger to come zooming out of the sky in pursuit. "Did you kill 'im?"

"No," Sam told the black Weapons Specialist. I didn't kill him, nobody killed him, Megatron is alive and well."

"Then why are yeh jus' standing there? He could turn up any minute, with revenge on his mind and try blastin' yeh to slag!"

Sam shook his head as he lowered his hands to reveal the tiny pink form within, which raised its voice in a cry in protest.

"No, I think the only thing he's got on his mind at the moment is his next feed. Do you have human baby formula, Ratchet?"

The medic stared at the naked human baby boy nestled in Sam's palm before saying "Yes, back at Base. We should go back." He gave Sam a hard stare. "But once that human newborn - or equivalent - is fed, I need to carry out repairs on you." He sighed as he looked around. All the Autobots and all the Seekers were staring as Megatron, in his new human body, kicked and squalled grumpily.

"But after that, Sam, I would appreciate an explanation, no details spared."


	9. Chapter 9

Now's The Time.

Chapter Nine.

A/N: Just lots of talking and questions answered here. Thanks to KDZeal for pointing out salient facts regarding Megatron.

Two Hours Later, the Autobot Base.

"So, even knowing who he is, you don't mind taking him on as long as the Government sort everything you need to make him legally yours?" asked Ratchet. "As far as we can tell, no other Decepticons apart from the Seekers know the truth of what happened to Megatron, and they have sworn not to tell."

Sarah Lennox smiled fondly at the sleeping child, now diapered and dressed in clean, white, newborn clothes she held, and Major Lennox nodded in reply.

"From what you've told me, he'll be completely unaware of his origins up until the moment of his death," he said. "Annabelle needs a brother or sister, he needs a family. It works well enough for us both. But I have to ask: what happens when, as you say, he is about to die and is given access to his memories and the chance to become himself or be sent back for another human life? How does that work?"

Sam saw the Major look up at him and dropped into a crouch so neither he nor the humans would need to shout to have a conversation.

"The AllSpark told me it will monitor him, and will keep him as healthy as it can until he reaches a good age for a human," Sam explained to the pair. "Once this human body wears out and ages, he will be told who and what he is just before the body dies and I think he'll be offered a chance to return, but only if he's learned not to be so aggressive." Sam blinked, showing his nervousness at suddenly being seen to have all the answers. "The AllSpark will know if he's changed, even if he lies and says he's ready. If he is ready, he can be given back his old body and memories." He paused, briefly checking with the AllSpark that he was explaining correctly. Both Lennoxes were nodding, so Sam chose to assume they understood. "If not, he will be given another human body to inhabit."

"You - that is, the AllSpark - would not kill a child to ensure he has a body, would it?" Sarah asked haltingly. "I would hate that, that one should die to let him relive."

Sam shook his head.

"Um, I don't think so Mrs Lennox." he said. Although now almost eight times bigger than her, Sam had been taught by his parents to address those older than he was respectfully. "The AllSpark prefers to create rather than destroy," he continued. "A woman with space will get two babies instead of one. The AllSpark says it can create matter, even human organic matter now. No baby will lose its life to allow this one to live again, if need be."

"Then that's fine by me," she said, looking up at her husband, who nodded.

"If the Government can produce the relevant paperwork, we can tell Annabelle she has an adopted baby brother to help look after," Major Lennox said. He peered at Sam again. "That's one thing I can't understand. You said the AllSpark couldn't repair your bodies, yet it made Megatron an entire new human body. How does that work?"

"I have a theory about that," Ratchet said. He nodded to Sam. "May I?"

"Sure," Sam said, rather relieved to let Ratchet answer the questions. He knew the AllSpark would give him the answers if he asked, but he was getting a bit tired of it all.

"My theory is that when the AllSpark worked on Sam, it had no knowledge of human form or genetics. Time was limited, so it repaired him by giving him a new body, one that could also defend itself against Barricade, but copied his DNA pattern into its memory. Knowing Barricade, even if it had repaired Sam as a human, Barricade would have just kept breaking him again, and human tissue has its limits."

Lennox nodded. "That makes sense, but what about Mikaela?"

"Time again, and genetics," Ratchet replied. "First of all, Mikaela was dying, it didn't have time to study her DNA, plus Sam, as a male, had differences, differences it did not have time to study and learn about. Also, Sam was directing it this time, and he chose to make her a Seeker."

"You keep mentioning genetics, that it doesn't understand them." Lennox said. "So how did it give Megatron a new body when it doesn't understand us strange organics?"

"It _didn't_ understand them, but I'm assuming that it had studied the genetic blueprints of both Sam and Mikaela between changing them, and changing Megatron." He indicated the sleeping baby. "My scans indicate that the child is not a clone of Sam, but that it's genome is unique, and composed of a combination of genes from both Sam and Mikaela."

There was a brief silence, broken when Sam said "You mean that genetically, Megatron's our _son_? My Mum and Dad are grandparents to the biggest tyrant to threaten the Universe?" He put his metal palm to his forehead with a theatrical clang. "Wonder how they're gonna take _that_?"

Lennox was trying to hide a smirk and failing.

"Well, at least you and Mikaela have managed to contribute to the next generation in _some_ form," he said.

Starscream wandered over, for he and his wingbrothers, fearing reprisals from the other Decepticons for their part in Megatron's 'disappearance', had requested neutral status, and then asylum, under the terms of the Treaty of Iacon. The three Seekers had refuelled, and were now taking turns in watching over Mikaela as she was recharging.

"Can you be absolutely certain, once Megatron comes back as he was, whenever that may be, that he won't get persuaded back to his original plans?" Starscream asked. He nodded towards Sarah. "I think he'll be a bit too big for you to smack his bottom, assuming you're still around."

"When he returns I think the AllSpark can do something about limiting that possibility." Sam paused to listen. "It says that any mech he has contact with once he returns, even via orders to another, is linked to him," Sam replied. "If they, or anyone they are involved with, dies as a result of orders he has given, he will feel it in his Spark." He paused, recalling the memories the AllSpark gave him, and winced. "The pain caused by one such occurrence should deter him from any more."

Starscream nodded, looking over at where Thundercracker was watching over the recharging Mikaela.

"What about sparklings? Will you - that is, the AllSpark in you - take that duty back on?"

Sam also looked back over at Mikaela, a smile forming on his face.

"I will provide if there is need, after all she _is_ currently the only femme on Earth, but I do believe more are on their way. You might find mech-femme Sparkmerge to be enjoyable enough to make my need for involvement minimal, but I will assist if you want."

"Sam, if, as Ratchet surmises, the AllSpark now knows your DNA, couldn't it change you back? Mikaela too?" Lennox asked. "You could go back to College, not have to worry about telling your folks what's happened, and have more human children. Sarah and I can keep this one's genetic parentage a secret, so you wouldn't even have to tell Ron and Judy about him if you don't want to."

Sam had to give this a bit of thought. It hadn't even crossed his mind that he might be able to return to being human and resume his normal life, and it _was_ tempting. He queried the AllSpark, which told him it was entirely possible, but he already knew what his answer would be when he turned back to the Lennoxes.

"I could, you're right, but I don't think I will." he said. "It would seem kinda ungrateful, after everything the AllSpark and Dynasty have done for me, plus, as disconcerting as being able to find the answers to almost any question asked is sometimes, I think getting used to not being able to do that after having that ability, well I think that'd be really hard." He looked over at where the Command Trine were all clustered around Mikaela's recharge unit, helping her out as she got up.

"I can't and wouldn't presume to speak for Mikaela of course, I didn't have a chance to ask permission, and she may be happier as a human, but I think I'll stay as I am."

By this time Mikaela was walking towards him.

"Speak for me about what?" she asked.

"About the idea that I could change you back to a human," Sam said. "After all, you -"

At that point, Mikaela cut him off.

"Don't you _dare_, Sam!" she cried. "I find what fun it is to fly now I can, and you want to change me back to what I was? No thanks!"

"Well, I guess that settles that," Sam said to Major Lennox.

"What about your parents, Sam?" asked Sarah. "This is going to be a shock to them, for them it might be like losing you."

"Yeah, that does worry me too," he said. "If it's too hard on them I'll reconsider, after all I don't think changing back has a time limit. Also, I may be able to offer them the best of both worlds, as it is, maybe they can become robots too, though I'll suggest we wait until they're not as physically active and let them live the rest of their human lives."

"I guess that's a thought," Ratchet said. "What about you, Mikaela, you have a Creator too don't you?"

"Yeah, two actually, but Mom took off when Dad got arrested, I think she's happy now. And Dad?" She grinned. "He'll just want a poke around in your internals for curiosity's sake, and he'll _love_ being able to fly in me!"

Ratchet grimaced.

"Before he tales 'a poke' in ANYONE's internals - assuming anyone is generous enough to allow it, and I'm assuming Optimus Prime _might_ be foolish enough - I'll give him a basic medic-mechanic course so he doesn't accidentally offline someone while scratching an itch or something!"

"Oh, he'll be happy to do that," Mikaela said. "And he has a knack with mechanicals."

"If he meets my standards, I might ask if he'd like to assist me," Ratchet said. Sam shutter-winked at Mikaela, for Ratchet was always complaining he didn't have any help, and now groused that he still needed more help even though Jolt had landed and the two seemed to be able to keep the Base's mechs healthy between them.

A strange grunt from the sleeping baby drew all their attentions to him. Megatron shifted, his face screwed up in a look of intense concentration for a few seconds, and then his face relaxed.

"What was that about? He _is_ asleep, right?" asked Ratchet, who then sniffed loudly twice. "And what in _Pit_ is that atrocious _smell_?"

Sarah giggled, she'd recognised the look on Megatron's face and knew what it was about.

"One of the messier facets of keeping a human sparkling, Ratchet," she said. "Humans do not digest their food as efficiently as you digest your fuel. You got any more diapers? I think he needs changing."


	10. Chapter 10

Now's The Time.

Epilogue.

Five Years Later.

The Dynasty Of Primes had never stopped watching Sam, seeing how he had coped with the change, and helping him out with a nudge or two when he needed it. They didn't intervene unless it became obvious he was not going to find the answer without a little prompt or mental nudge. After all, he had started off human, it would take him time to get used to using the mental resources available to a Prime of Cybertron.

As he became used to seeking the answer from within his own processors or, when needed, from the essence of the AllSpark, they needed to do this less and less, but at times he still needed a helping hand from them. They didn't really mind. After all, with one important exception, they had little else to do.

They also watched another person, one who was enjoying a second birth, albeit as a human, watching his progress with interest, hoping he would learn quickly. Then, considering those who currently reared him, if it were only his human memories they had to worry about, he would have been fine. By both human and Cybertronian standard, the Lennoxes were doing a fine job…

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

The Lennox Household, in the back garden.

Five year old Marcus Lennox laughed out loud as his Dad grabbed his upper arm and lower leg and said "Helicopter ride, Marcus?"

"Yes, yes, please!" he yelled, laughing. Major Lennox straightened as he began to spin around on the spot, lifting the young boy up, centripetal forces pulling the small boy out. Lennox spun faster and faster and Marcus squeaked in joy as his bigger sister Annabelle clapped and laughed from the sidelines. She was too big (and too appearance-conscious) to be given such rides any more, but she loved watching Marcus enjoying them.

He continued to squeal as he felt the air buffet his face, blowing his thick dark brown wavy hair all over his forehead and round his ears, his face going red as he screamed his joy. Sarah, hearing the noise, wandered out slowly with their third, Maria, toddling alongside, her fourth betraying it's presence in the rounded curve of her stomach. In about two months, she mused, stroking her bump tenderly, another child would make their family just perfect for her.

In spite of their knowledge of who their second baby had been, Sarah and Will had agreed that he not be treated differently to any of their other children. When pressed, Sam had confirmed that the baby's mind was a blank slate, none of Megatron's memories would be accessible until the body was failing from old age.

"Then he's no different from any other newborn human baby," Will had stated. "We will give him no preferential or special treatment on account of his previous life, he has no record of it himself." Thus Marcus, like Maria, had been introduced to the Autobots from a very young age. The preferences of the children varied: Ironhide was still Annabelle's favourite, Maria was fond of being picked up and carried by the now-neutral Starscream, and Marcus himself seemed enamoured of Optimus Prime.

As Will slowed and put Marcus down, Sarah couldn't help wondering how Megatron would react upon regaining his original memories and comparing them. However, when that happened, she reflected as she moved to steady Marcus as he wobbled, she would not be around to worry about it. As she knelt to enclose the wobbly child in her arms and pick him up, she decided not to concern herself with that, but instead to simply enjoy being his mother.

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

The Witwicky Quarters, the Autobot Base.

Sam came out of recharge and got to his feet. His parents had already gone, his Dad to work and his Mom to her gardening group. They were living at the Autobot base part-time, to get used to the layout, but still keeping up with their human pursuits as they gradually lived out their lives. As Sam had surmised, the idea of a longer life, one where they could try different pursuits, appealed to them, but they also wanted to complete their so-far fruitful lives as humans first.

Checking the schedules, he saw that Mikaela had a training day, continuing to learn how to fight on the ground with the aid of Elita and her team. Presumably that meant that her sparklings were either with their respective Creators, or being dandled on Skywarp's knee. Sam smiled at that thought: who would have thought the youngest member of the Command Trine would have had such a knack with the younglings of the Base?

Mikaela had taken to her new role well, even agreeing to be courted by Starscream with a view to co-creating a sparkling with him. Had Sam been a betting mech he would have put money on her tossing the Air Commander out on his audio after an hour. He would also have lost: Starscream obviously had a setting other than default obnoxious, as after a few weeks she announced she was carrying Starscream's sparkling.

Not surprisingly when it was taken out and scanned, prior to being given its own body, Ratchet found it was a Seeker sparkling. Luckily, Ratchet and the craftmech Cliffjumper has anticipated that likelihood, presenting the two co-Creators with three winglet shells to choose from, and the transfer into the blue and white body had proceeded without incident, and Skyblue was learning to fly with the Command Trine in the traditional fashion.

Mikaela had then carried three more Sparklings over as many years, for Mirage, Skywarp, and Bumblebee in turn, and would have been happy to keep doing so, but the landing of Elita's team took some of the pressure off her. She spent a lot of time with the grounder femmes, who taught her how to fight on the ground just as Starscream and the others had taught her how to fight in the air.

"A Seeker's natural and preferred element is in the air, but battle doesn't always allow you to fight in the circumstances best for you. If you are downed for some reason, you need to keep yourself alive long enough to get back in the air or rescued," Elita had told her. Seeing the sense in this, Mikaela had applied herself to her lessons with zeal.

Sam checked his own schedule: there had been three new landings, and it was his job to track them down and ascertain to which side they belonged. As he moved out and switched into his Earth alt, a Predator UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), and took off, he reflected that although the war wasn't over, life, in whatever form it took, found a way, and carried on.


End file.
